Welcome Back, by Larry Convoy

To some, January 1st is like the first day of school. Everything starts out fresh and clean (even though I know many of your fiscal years start at different times of the year). For those group members who attend and contribute regularly, the beginning of the year is just a continuation of what you have done in the past.

However, some of you have not attended your Industry Credit Group meetings in months (and for others years) and you may feel a bit embarrassed showing up. Others may not be in an Industry Credit Group at all.

As someone who has facilitated meetings longer than many of you have been alive, let me inform you that nothing could be further from the truth. Your contributions and attendance will be welcomed by all, whether it is at a meeting or joining a conference call. By including your trade data and credit knowledge, the other members have more information to make informed credit decisions. The real embarrassment would be you opening an account that the other group members have previously discussed and determined individually to be risky.

There are two ways to increase the value of an Industry Credit Group; bring in new members and bring back current members who have for whatever reason, have gone astray. Either way, EVERYONE WINS.

As we begin a new year, we ask you on behalf of the other members of your group, to commit to attending each meeting/call, to contribute daily through alerts, RFIs and monthly if your group has a report. Take your calendar and mark off the meeting days for the entire year so nothing else can be scheduled during that time period. Prepare the accounts you wish to discuss prior to the meeting and any topic you would like to bring up. Let’s make 2016 the Year of the Group.